Bono challenges the church. Will we rise to it?

thankful feasting without our mouths

As we get ready to celebrate God's goodness around our tables it might be a good time to consider this...

I always joke because I'm Italian. Food is part of life. We celebrate with food. We fellowship with food. We comfort others by SENDING food. *geesh!*

Yup. Need this book.

buggy blessings

"Gnite!"

"Sleep tight!"

"Don't let the bed bugs bite!"

This was the ritual at bedtime between my sister and me. We had no idea what a bed bug was, but we'd snuggle under the covers tightly to keep them out, just in case. (does anyone else see the irony in this?!)

Sometimes I hate being a grown-up. I hate knowing so much. It doesn't feel as safe or as simple as pulling the covers tighter around me.

Dealing with real bed bugs has probably ruined it for my future grandchildren. I can hear it now: "Shhh, don't say that! It makes Grandma Joy's face twitch funny."

*sigh*

The first of three treatments by our wonderful exterminator was yesterday.

I woke up this morning and my house feels and smells so fresh. It's probably in my head, but that's okay. The blessing I unwrapped this morning was peace of mind. It's being handled.

And my house is clean for the holidays! :oD

This bug-free morning is brought to you by Tuesday's Unwrapped, a reminder to find the hidden blessings in everyday life.

tuesday's child

After a long day at school I was ready to get home to a fire pit, two lawn chairs and my favorite Man. After sitting in bumper-to-bumper tunnel traffic (at 9:30 PM!) I couldn't change clothes fast enough. The sky was bedazzled with stars. We talked about never getting tired of staring at them and how good God is to put them there for us to see. We sipped hot chocolate and talked in whispers. The Man was tempted to talk about serious stuff, but I reminded him tomorrow is another day. We talked about grace and facing whatever comes with courage, knowing in Him we are never alone. We watched flames lick at the logs and listened to it crackle as fall breezes chilled our faces. And we wished we had a fireplace indoors so we could fall asleep without moving anywhere. Sleep came easily, preparing the way for a happy start this Tuesday morning.

Decompression time is so very important to our spirits, yet I don't stop to do it often enough. Experiencing a month of grace has me renewing my efforts to breathe deeply and enjoy the daily stuff I'm tempted to whiz through, even tunnel traffic. Most especially I want to enjoy the people around me even more and ignore the things that continuously try to undermine peace. It's hard. But at the end of the day I want my memories to be of the rich things, the humorous things, the blessings, the sights and sounds of living abundantly.

This grace-filled moment brought to you by Tuesday's Unwrapped, a weekly reminder to enjoy the magic that is life.

grace flows

At the end of September, Emily announced she would be blogging 31 Days of Grace during the month of October, and I was ready. At the time I was not in a happy place - some serious circumstances had me reeling inside and struggling with "God with us". My spirit was thirsty for reassurance that His presence was truly in my midst, not merely a sideline spectator.

The past 29 days has brought the subject of grace to the forefront of my consciousness in a way it hadn't been, especially lately. Grace was like the beautiful colors of fabric on my shelf - always present, pleasant to the eyes, but on the sidelines for when I needed it.

As I pondered each post, God carefully unwrapped grace for me, revealing its intricacies and depth in everyday life. My everyday life. He showed me how grace flows in every area of life, not just the ones I was conscious of. He illuminated the places where I had rejected grace's touch and exposed places where I withheld it from others.

We cannot escape grace any more than we can escape God's presence. Whether we choose to believe it or not isn't the point and doesn't matter. Grace is always there, waiting for us to employ its power in our lives so it can spill over to those around us.

the difference a day can make

Oh yeah, it's Tuesday... I had no idea what to write about today, and my overloaded brain wasn't interested in thinking too hard to find something. I'm just being honest. I let it go.

God didn't.

That's a big deal right now because I have been in a struggling place lately. Yesterday morning I sat outside my back door with tears streaming down my face feeling the deepest sense of hopelessness I've experienced in a long while. I sucked it up, put on my duty face and went to class. I don't know about you, but I hate being in public when I feel like a total basket case.

I walked into class an hour and a half late and did my best to put the tears on hold and focus on the task at hand. The day did get easier. My instructor is a kind, compassionate man. A couple of good friends piled onto the couch around me, let me cry, then showed me funny YouTube videos until I laughed. I felt more like myself in my second class. At 9PM I headed home to some hot tea and a movie snuggled on the couch with my hubby and daughter. My husband gently rubbed my back and prayed as I drifted to sleep.

This morning hubby took the morning routine reigns because I had an early doctor's appointment. One of the gals who works there is just learning to quilt. I excitedly gave her a list of blogs to check out online and the info for the annual quilt show in town. I left feeling good about connecting with her.

And... that's when it hit.

Twenty-four hours ago I was on my lawn chair feeling hopeless.

I lead a weekly bible study, and this week's focus is asking God for more of His presence. The challenge is to get Him off the sidelines and welcome Him INto our daily lives, moment by moment, to take full advantage of what He's made available to us through Christ. His presence. His peace. His strength. I felt like a fraud because I'm a wee bit not-happy at Him right now and still working through it.

But God knows that, and it hasn't stopped Him from being Himself. It reminds me of The God Hunt in reverse. Instead of hunting for God in every day I've been asking, "Where'd you go?"And instead of making me hunt for Him, He's showing me, "Here I am."

This honest moment brought to you by Tuesday's Unwrapped, an encouraging way to unwrap the magic that is life.

camouflage

Ahhh! There's a crisp breeze coming through the windows, the birds are singing, the aroma of soup stock simmering on the stove wafts through the house.... It's total camouflage for the craziness about to begin!

It's also my quiet morning moment when all is right with my world. It's what makes coming home worth coming home. The smells, the sounds, the promise of safety away from 'out there' and the opportunity to refocus on the truly important.

After all, isn't the purpose of camouflage to cover and protect? ;o)

This quiet moment brought to you by Tuesday's Unwrapped, a delightful way to unwrap the magic that is life!